The British Royal Navy recently completed a successful rescue mission in Caribbean Waters – saving 5 crew members of an ocean-going tug boat after their vessel started to sink.
The mission executed by the team onboard HMS Medway, the Navy’s permanent presence in the region, was reportedly part of the first patrol of the year.
The Royal Navy’s statement on the incident said that the crew had to be rescued after the engines on their vessel failed, leaving them to seek refuge on the barge, but not before sending out a SOS signal which was sighted off the island of Sint Maarten, near to the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla.
At the time of noticing the SOS, HMS Medway and its crew of 50 were about a dozen miles away and quickly responded with the assistance of the Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.
Although the crew members rescued off the barge were not injured, the rescuing crew described them as noticeably shaken by the incident and relieved to have been rescued.
The rescued crew were subsequently handed over to search and rescue responders from Anguilla and taken back to that Territory for further assistance.
Executive Officer of the HMS Medway, Lieutenant Commander Carla Higgins credited the entire crew for leaping into action for an effective response and a successful rescue.